CHAPTER 1- KARMA

“Nice artwork right,” Jennifer says while smiling at the picture

“Yeah, very nice, very disturbing” Sean answers her in a low voice.

“This is so weird, at least I got to look for a good place with a good signal,” she says while she left him once more.

“Sir, are you going to book a room or not?” a fat old woman asked him when she approached.

“Oh, yeah” Sean replies nodding as he took out his wallet and paid for one room at the hotel.

Minutes later, Sean could be seen walking in the hallway while passing various rooms with different numbers and rooms written on them. After passing through many rooms, Sean eventually reached a corridor that looked quiet, absence of noise.

“Burn them!” he heard a voice whisper from inside, followed by the sound of bones cracking and metal scraping against wood.

“No!” he hears someone shouting before hearing two gunshots.

Sean stopped in front of the door and tried to open it through the knob.

“What are you doing?” a voice asks him in a frightened tone. He turned to see a man dressed in a ragged suit looking at him with his rotten teeth, “If I were you, I wouldn't want to open the door”

“Why?" Sean asked the man

“The Evil inside is waiting to be unleashed, if you open that door then it will consume you and EVERYONE!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

“I don't understand”

“I bet that's what everyone thinks” the man responded bitterly, “You won't understand because YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND”

Sean was trying to comprehend what the stranger was saying but failed.

“What does that mean?” Sean finally blurted out

“It means I'm right” the man answered while laughing. “They think I'm crazy, they call me insane. But they don't know the darkness won't stop until it takes them all”

“What darkness?” Sean asked, still confused

“The darkness within your heart. The darkness that has no limits, that consumes everything in its path,” the man continued with a sadistic smile on his mouth.

“Not you again Goldberg," the receptionist Sean saw earlier appeared with a broom trying to chase away the stranger from Sean.

“I said I don't want you bugging me customers”

“You are all in hell,” the stranger replied as he started to move away “Only through the darkness you shall find the light” he added before leaving.

The receptionist shook her head.

“I'm sorry for the disturbance" she apologizes to Sean

“Sorry miss? if I may ask who is that?" he asks

“Oh him, he used to work as a teacher at the orphanage, but after the children's tragic death, he's turned into an insane man...” she hesitated before continuing “What children?”

Sean asked, puzzled by the woman's words

“I really couldn't say sir” she answered him.

“Because these Lips are sealed”

“Lips?” he repeats as she walks past him.

“Yes sir, lips" the receptionist repeats once more. “Now let's forget about it and go to your room"

Meanwhile, Jennifer stood on the last floor of the building which was left uncompleted. “... I think I'm gonna have to stay here for some days before getting to the city," she said over the video call

with her friends.

“Oh, that's fine, we'll take care of everything here till your arrival,” one of her friends says.

Suddenly the conversation starts to break apart as Jennifer begins speaking to someone else.

“Not again? Can you see me? guys” she asks someone on the line

“Yeah, I can see you, who is that at your back? Jennifer” her friend asks

Jennifer spins around to see a tall, dark-haired male standing behind her. “What are you doing here? you scared me” she asked him

“I came to check on you," Rexxy says with a smile.

“And you were following me?” Jennifer questioned

Rexy nods. “Of course”

“So, what are you doing here? aren't you supposed to be in your room?”

“That is true, but do you mind if you and I go sightseeing? ” Rexxy replied with a slight smile on his face.

Jennifer thought for a moment. “where are you driving to?” she finally said.

“I feel pretty bored so I decided if you don't mind, why don't we go out now?”

Rexxy suggested

“Where would you like to go?”

“Just anywhere,” Rexxy responds

Jennifer hums before replying, “Ok”

Rexxy smiles brightly while grabbing her hand.

A FEW HOURS LATER

02:19 PM

Sean had already changed into a simple white t-shirt and jeans, he had tied his hair into a ponytail and put on the same pair of shoes as he came out of his room as walked downstairs.

“Hey!” Collin collided with Eric's hallway who held a camera. "Sorry" Sean apologized

“Don't worry” Eric said. “Where are you going?”

“That is none of your business," Sean says turning around and starting to walk away.

“Ok, have you seen Jennifer? ” Eric questioned

“She went downstairs,” Sean said

Eric looks at him perplexed and then says “ok, thanks” and leaves him.

Sean sighs, he doesn't care where Jennifer is anymore. The only thing he knows is that he can't sleep unless he gets to the bottom of that dream.

As he reaches the bottom of the steps he stops to listen for something, he doesn't hear anything so he continues to walk forward.

The hotel lobby is almost empty except for people sitting at the tables drinking coffee and having snacks while staring at nothing in particular. As he opens the door he meets with the old receptionist.

“Are you going out?” she asked him but Sean only nodded in response.

Once outside he stands at the edge of the stair leading down to the parking lot, as his eyes wander across the deserted streets, “Here is a friendly piece of advice, don't stay out too much at night, or you end up being taken by them,” he said.

“By who?” Sean asks

“Nighttime predators, they're everywhere,” she states.

“They lurk in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike and kill”

“Thank you" Sean replied forcing a smile on his face. but he doesn’t notice the look the receptionist gives him before she turns and walks back into her small hotel.

He stepped on the cracked road as he starts to stroll through the town and notices a few people walking around but most are looking at him, pointing at him, and whispering something that he doesn't understand. After taking a few minutes of aimless wandering, Sean comes into a church.

He entered the church to meet a service going on between the priests and a few people attending the ceremony and after a while, he sits down in the back corner.

The congregation of people is dressed In black and their faces are covered with masks.

A young boy walks towards the priest and hands him a bible. He opens the Bible and proceeds to read a long passage while some of the people close their eyes, some hold hands and others pray.

“Father, I have sinned against thee, I have denied thy commandment...” Sean heard the priest reading aloud

“Please forgive me, Father, please forgive my sins...” a man beside him whispered with his eyes closed as well.

The priest continued to read for several more moments before finishing the whole prayer.

The whole sermon ended as everyone headed to their homes, except Sean who was approached by a Reverend. He was a thin middle-aged man with silver glasses who wore a black suit.

"Can I help you? I am Reverend Andrew of the Christian Church" the Reverend said to Sean

“Uh yes, I'm Sean Gordon,” Sean said.

“You are here to confess your sins, something tells me” the Reverend stated.

Sean remained quiet for a while before answering, “Yes, father. I have a confession to make,”

“Tell me, son, what's your sin?” Father Andrew says out of curiosity.

Sean didn't respond for a minute, he was lost inside his thoughts but when he felt the gaze of the priest staring at him he began to explain what happened to him

“It's a very strange story,” he continued "That day while going to fight off the terrorist in a village, I mistakenly took the life of a child”

................... FLASHBACK..............

Soldiers rushed into the village while shooting variously at the terrorist.

“I will try to stop the terrorist backup team," Sean says while running on the battlefield shooting at his enemies

To get to his objective, Sean passes a building where two men are standing next to each other watching an elderly couple, both of whom are also terrorists. One terrorist, a muscular man wearing a black robe and hat, pulls out a gun and grabs the elderly man who is holding a small child.

“Put the gun down now or I kill them" the terrorist threatens him.

Sean still aims for his gun, waiting for an order from his commander.

“Shoot Sean, now,” a voice said from the earpod he wore.

Without hesitation Sean shoots first at his target, hitting the terrorist in the head, and killing him instantly.

Sean quickly runs towards the old man and the child, “Come with me now" he instructed. Suddenly a bullet was shot and it penetrated the old man's body.

His Child screams while covering his ears.

The old man falls backward on the ground, clutching his chest, and dying soon

afterward. Sean stood still as he watched the lifeless body of the old man.

“Leave there, Sean now!" his commander said, “Do you hear me, soldier, retreat now"

Sean turned to see a group of terrorists rushing in his direction, he raised his gun and started firing aimlessly, he turned to see the little boy covering his ears as he starts to run away from the gunshots suddenly a projectile from Sean's bullet pierced right into the young child's skull causing his body to fall on the ground lifeless.

Sean lowers the gun realizing his mistake and starts to scream. His voice echoes in the dead silent surroundings, “No!”

His tears start falling from his eye. Sean sobbed.

*****FLASHBACK ENDS****

“After killing those innocent souls, I felt restless" sean adds. "I need peace—, have been seeing the face of that your child everywhere, it stares looking at me"

“I understand son, you are at the right place to get attuned for your sins,”

“Yes, I know. But it seems no matter what I do, there always seems to be a new evil lurking around every corner. " Sean ended

“What is evil? we think it's just dark energy that comes to cause harm to everything around.” Father Andrew pauses “We believe that darkness is all that exists in this world...but, perhaps it is also the light. But first Light and Darkness only exist within our hearts" he ended

“Within our hearts” Sean whispered to himself before father Andrew interrupted him.

“It's getting dark, son...I suggest you head home now” Father Andrew says while smiling

“Goodbye, father,” Sean responded

“Goodbye” the Reverend added before leaving. “May the lord be with you"

Sean looked at the empty spot near the entrance to the church before heading out.

Meanwhile, Eric kept on taking pictures of the birds in the sky as Twilight begins to appear.

“Nice," he says with a smile when he attempts to take a picture of a bird going around in a circle in the sky. “Wait for a second; what is that?” he points to a spot in the air.

He could see the birds all rushing to safety, as the whole cloud begins to darken.

Suddenly the town alarm rings loudly.

“What's happening?” Eric shouts to himself and takes another picture. Suddenly he sighted everyone in the town hurrying inside and locking up their houses. It was almost as if he wasn't even there. Everyone in the town is moving quickly to avoid the threat of whatever might come out of the clouds above them and soon enough all of the townsfolk have disappeared inside and everything is silent.

Suddenly the sky begins to show signs of lightning.